


Empty Voicemails in Deserted Streets

by TheProfoundSilence



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, Lonely Dean Winchester, Self-Sacrificing Dean Winchester, Stanford Era, Voicemails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:55:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27994860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheProfoundSilence/pseuds/TheProfoundSilence
Summary: This is John Winchester. I'll get back to you later. Stanford-era.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Empty Voicemails in Deserted Streets

**Author's Note:**

> This is John Winchester. I'll get back to you later.

Dean stared at his phone in wordless disbelief, and resisted the urge to throw it in belligerent annoyance. It was rare that his father ever offered to involve himself in his children's lives.

Dean admired and respected his father beyond anybody else in the world. And even he could concede that his bright-eyed hero-worship was more becoming of a toddler than an independent and very capable 24-year old hunter.

But even he knew that asking his father to be a dad was beyond that man's more than considerable skills.

But now, it had been over 3 months since he had really even really talked to Dean. It wasn't even that he was indisposed or hurt, as had been Dean's first fear on his first few missed messages and calls.

He took up hunts, he interacted with other hunters, he was still a masterful legend, Dean's larger-than-life hero figure. He just didn't want to talk to _Dean._

Because…because what? Dean had disappointed him unbearably in some way he hadn't realized? Because he let his brother go? Off to a life where he wanted nothing to do with Dean (and hadn't the kid made that very clear)?

John was angry in the days following that, of course he was. And Dean had kept an eye on his the bottles of whiskey and done his best to run interference, put his heartbroken father to bed and slipped in his covers, silently crying because if John knew he was crying, it might just be the straw to break the camel's back.

The day that followed had his father too hungover to drive and a hunt that he was too tired for.

But at least they were together.

Until the first hunt where John said, "It's just a simple S&B, Dean. I have to check out this other hunt in the area. I'm sure you can manage?"

No matter how much he attempted to frame it like one, it wasn't a question and all Dean had to say to that was, Yes sir.

Then came the hunt after that and a couple after that.

Every hunt lead his father, his only remaining family farther away for longer and longer periods of time, and now Dean is sitting in a motel room on a bed that is much too uncomfortable to even bother sitting on, wondering how he lost all he had in such a little time.

It's almost egoistical and self-centered to think it, but it feels like abandonment.

Sam and dad left him alone. It is a bit like that but not really, because they weren't leaving him. They were just going for something they had wanted, a good normal life for Sam; a life on the run living for the next Hunt for dad.

They had made their choices to live their lives as they wanted; he hadn't factored in it. And ain't that the bitch. He hadn't even been a point to think about, why think about Dean, why worry about someone who…what, what did they think of him?

Not much, he conceded cynically.

But he had really thought everything of them, they meant everything to Dean, and he'd still do anything, absolutely anything they needed, wanted or asked him to.

And that was the bitch of it all, wasn't it?

His devotion and love to them was his choice, and them leaving was theirs. They had no obligation to be bound to him beyond the ties of blood, and that was obviously not enough.

Or maybe he was just over-reacting, maybe he was just plain wrong, and that really could be because he just wasn't that smart sometimes.

The thought always wound him somehow, him not being smart but Dean always believed in calling a spade a spade and there was no just no point in holding onto delusions that would ultimately bring him down.

Still, he had to check on his father. He called up contacts, tracked down his father's cell, and resolved to check on Sam on the way back.

They were not obligated to love him but he had promised to protect them with his life if it came to it.

**Author's Note:**

> This was probably written years back. Found it on my laptop a week back. Debated on posting it, but then thought, why not? So here it is. Rate and review if you like it please.


End file.
